


Until it Sticks

by Condescendingbrit



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22189156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Condescendingbrit/pseuds/Condescendingbrit
Summary: The aftermath of Betty's striptease Serpent initiation at the White Wyrm.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Sweet Pea
Kudos: 52





	Until it Sticks

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for no updates in a long time. I have this old fic, not beta-read, about Betty and Sweet Pea back in season 2 or something. I hope you enjoy it.

‘Until it sticks.’

Jughead's words echoed in her head as she walked down the dark alley behind the White Wyrm. She swayed as she walked, trying to avoid stepping on broken glass or in piss. The heels rubbed her feet and she knew there would be blisters on her skin tomorrow. She didn’t care. 

‘Until it sticks.’

The tears left tracks down her cheeks, which felt cold in the night air. She rubbed at them with her palms but only succeeded in smearing the sticky feeling over her skin. The expensive lace lingerie underneath her clothes made her feel tacky and cheap and she wanted to rip it off her skin. She wasn’t sure if anyone would consider her a serpent after her strip-tease or just a pretentious whore. She was doing it for Jug, because she loved him. She wanted to be with him, no matter what, even if that meant being part of a gang she didn’t trust. She felt so vulnerable up there on the stage, her heartbeat overpowering the tinny music from the karaoke machine. She felt the men’s eyes on her as she danced, it was tangible and it was violating. But she closed her eyes and imagined it was just her and Juggie, in his bedroom; that made it tolerable.   
His reaction was heartbreaking.   
She could only then imagine what he was thinking when she was up there, pole-dancing. Shame. Disappointment. Wondering if all his friends would make fun of him for dating a girl who so willingly took off her clothes in front of a crowd. 

‘Until it sticks.’

After he said that and left, Betty didn’t know what to do so she stood there, wondering how she could fix the mess she felt she made. Something else was bothering Jug but he didn’t trust her enough to tell her, something which contributed to Jughead wanting to end their relationship. She went over the possibilities in her head as she waited but nothing seemed severe enough for Juggie not to tell her about. The later it got, the more men left the bar and looked at her, her clothes hiding nothing as they had all already seen what was underneath. That’s when she decided to leave.   
Her mother had taken the car when she left, leaving Betty to fend for herself. Jughead, whom she had assumed would take her home, or to his place for a little fooling around, had also left her. Archie and Veronica were nowhere to be seen. Betty’s only option now was to walk.   
When she emerged from the other side of the alley, she saw a boy in a serpents jacket with messy black hair getting on a bike and her heart stopped. 

Jughead, she thought. 

When she saw his face, her heart squeezed. The hair and the jacket were the only thing Jughead and this boy had in common. He was taller than Jug, his nose was straighter, his eyes brown and harsh as if he spent the majority of his days scowling at people, which him being a serpent and all, was probably likely. 

You’re an honorary serpent now, she reminded herself, bitterly.

The boy finally spotted her and his eyes went wide before he smiled wickedly.   
“That was quite a performance you put on,” He said.   
Betty swallowed before replying “I guess so.”  
He studied her face “You and Jones have a lover’s quarrel?”  
“Yeah,” She said hollowly, staring at the ground “He ended things between us.”   
“What? Really?” the boy sounded surprised, smile faltering “Wow. That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Betty asked defensively, though she was curious as to what he meant.  
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming that you did what you did for him.” he said.   
Betty’s throat tightened and she nodded.   
“Then he’s an idiot for letting you go.”  
“Yeah, that’s what I told him.” Betty joked dryly.   
Her empty chuckle died out into silence.   
Due to her slight tipsiness, Betty asked a question.  
“Your name is Sweet something, no? Sweet pear. Sweet plum. Sweet snake?” she suggested.  
He smiled a little “Sweet Pea.”   
“Hello Sweet Pea, the serpent, I’m Betty Cooper.”   
His smile grew and he nodded “Nice to meet you.”.   
Betty tilted her head “Just thought we ought to be properly introduced.”   
Sweet Pea caught her gaze and didn’t let go. He was oddly perceptive and had an air of mystery about him. He swept his eyes over Betty’s body and eyed her heels.   
“Want a ride?” he winked and gestured to his bike.   
Betty walked over and got on his bike, the awkward position making her tight skirt ride up her thighs. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his muscular torso, feeling oddly at ease. She heard his breath hitch.  
“So where in the Northside do you live?” he asked, revving the engine of the bike.   
“I don’t feel like going home.” She whispered sadly.  
Sweet Pea thought a little “So, where to, ma’am?”   
“Anywhere.” Betty replied.   
“Anywhere it is,” Sweet Pea kicked the ground and off they went.

*****  
Anywhere ended up being Sweet Pea’s run down house in Greendale. The house lightly furnished, a table and two chairs in the dingy kitchen. A couch and a T.V. in the living-room. Sweet Pea threw his jacket onto the couch and opened the fridge.   
“Beer?” he asked.  
Betty nodded and he passed her a bottle.   
They sat down at the table and Sweet Pea watched as Betty attempted sadly to open her bottle by twisting the cap and then prying it upwards.   
Her cheeks flushed when there showed no signs of progress “Fine. I give up.” She sighed.   
Sweet Pea, quirked an eyebrow and produced a bottle opener.  
“Wow. You let me sit there and look like a fool.” Betty smiled thinly as he popped the lid off the beer.   
“Not gonna lie, it was entertaining.” he said.   
Betty picked the bottle up and took a deep swig. It tasted metallic and bitter and awful.   
She swallowed and began coughing.   
“Woah, woah, take it easy.” Sweet Pea patted her on the back.   
“That was disgusting!” she exclaimed, gagging, and pushed the beverage away from her “You actually enjoy drinking that?”  
Sweet Pea ran a hand through his raven hair and flashed his teeth in a grin “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. No one drinks for taste.”   
Betty rested her chin on her hand “That makes sense.”   
Sweet pea eyed her “I take it you don’t drink much. You look more like the stay-home-and-do-homework type than the Friday-night-party type.”   
Betty looked up at Sweet Pea with her blue eyes that were now tear-free “That’s very true,” she said “Also because when I drink, bad things happen.”   
Sweet Pea leaned forwards, an intrigued glimmer in his eyes “Like what?”   
Betty found herself looking at his lips, they looked soft and Betty wanted to taste them, to chase away the ache in her chest. She thought of Jughead and all the times they had kissed. She thought of Jughead and the words that had been rattling around her head. 

‘Until it sticks.’

“Like this,” Betty whispered and caught Sweet Peas bottom lip between her own. At first, his lips only parted in surprise but then he started kissing her back. He tasted like beer but Betty couldn’t get enough. One hand went to her cheek and the other to her waist. His lips left her mouth and trailed down her neck and pressed kisses against her collarbone. Betty slipped her hands underneath his shirt and traced the outline of his abdominal muscles. Her breathing grew heavy and Betty climbed onto Sweet Peas lap, straddling him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a hand on her ass. Betty tangled her fingers in his hair and felt Sweet Pea rise from the chair. Shd instinctively wrapped her legs around him. The whole scenario reminded her of another time, another blond girl and another dark-haired boy in a passionate makeout session. But this time it felt wilder, more dangerous; darker.   
Sweet Pea carried Betty to the bedroom and dropped her down on the bed, she kicked off her heels and lay back and Sweet Pea climbed in between her legs and on top of her. He resumed kissing her, but more slowly, as he unbuttoned her shirt. Once it was off, he looked at the provocative black lace and toyed with a strap of the top.  
“You were the sexiest thing I have ever seen tonight.” He told her, his eyes rippling with lust.  
“Oh yeah?” Betty asked as she traced her lips against his jaw.   
“Yeah. You sure you wanna do this?” he paused before he lightly kissed her.   
Betty pulled off Sweet Peas shirt and planted a kiss, right on top of his heart “Never been surer of anything.”   
Soon Sweet Peas jeans came off and then Bettys skirt. Eventually the lingeré was tossed aside as well. Betty had always imagined that her first time would be with Jug but as the thought crossed her mind, she immediately forced it away. They had tried so hard for so long to make things work, they had each pushed the other away but in the end they always came back to each other. They just couldn’t stay away. But somehow, Betty knew, this time wasn’t the same. ‘Until it sticks.’   
Anyway, this was somehow actually more fitting, her first hours as a serpent were spent ridding herself of the old Betty. The girl next door. The cheerleader. The cherished sister and daughter. That girl was gone. In her place, was Dark-Betty, responsible for catching Jason Blossom’s killer, the Candyman and soon the Black Hood. Dark Betty, the serpent.   
Sweet Pea and Betty moved together to a silent rhythm, sweat and ecstasy dripping from their skin. At first it hurt but then the pain gave way to something else entirely. The sensation built and grew stronger and nothing had ever felt more right to Betty than this moment. At the end, Betty gripped Sweet Peas hair and cried out as lightning rippled through her body. She eventually relaxed as the pleasure faded. The brown eyed boy slowly eased himself off of Betty and lay on his back next to her. Neither spoke as they lay there panting but Betty found Sweet Pea’s hand and gripped it with her own.   
After some time, Sweet Pea spoke; “You know, now that you’re a serpent, I could help you settle if you wanted. Show you the ropes.”   
Betty turned onto her side and looked Sweet Pea in the eye “Yeah.”  
Sweet Pea smiled crookedly “Yeah?”  
Betty nodded and moved closer to him “Yeah.”   
They fell asleep like that, Betty against Sweet Pea's chest, his hand absentmindedly stroking her blond hair, which was fanned out over the tangled sheets like a halo. 

*****

Betty woke at 10:30 in the morning. Not knowing exactly where she was, she looked around her and saw a sleeping shape beside her. When she saw the black hair, her heart skipped, mistaking the boy once again for Jughead. When she realised that he was not Jughead, but instead Sweet Pea, the memories of the night came crashing back to her. Strangely, no tears emerged and Betty felt hollow instead of guilty or upset. She rose, letting the sheets fall from her naked body, and gathered up her clothing from the floor. She got dressed in the cramped bathroom and checked her phone. Three missed calls from her mother, also five texts, and one from Ronnie. Nothing from Jughead.   
Betty wrote a note for Sweet Pea and left through the front door, careful not to wake the sleeping serpent. She didn’t know how she would get home but she knew she would make it on her own. Her heels in one hand, Betty scrolled through her contacts on her phone with the other, and stopped by Jughead’s name. She was tempted to call him, confess about last night and tell him she loved him and would do anything to fix their issues, but she didn’t let herself. He had made it very clear she knew where he stood regarding their relationship. Instead, she switched her phone off and put it in her purse. 

‘Until it sticks.’  
This time, it would stick.


End file.
